1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction block system and accessories, and more particularly, to a construction block system that can be readily aligned during installation with predictable dimensions for the resulting structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many designs for construction block systems have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes upper and lower channels cooperatively disposed to receive aligning members therein. Nor do they include external edge cutouts for lodging the cements. Conventional blocks are aligned manually. And the separations between blocks are responsible for unpredictable overall dimensions of the resulting wall structures and also resulting in misalignment.
Applicant believes that another related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,067 issued to Tim Allen Bott on Jul. 4, 2000 for dry stackable block structures. Bott's stackable block structure system for dry stacking concrete reinforced walls, includes a stretcher block with a recess of triangular cross-section on the bottom surface and disposed intermediate a pair of co-planar, parallelly disposed laterally extending rectangular edge portions. The top surface of the block includes a flat portion in the center and two edge portions forming upwardly converging surfaces of truncated triangular cross-section. Notches (33; 34 and 35) are disposed at a midpoint of the webs (31;32 and 30, respectively) and have a semi-circular cross sectional configuration to receive a horizontally disposed reinforcing bar are provided to allow concrete to engage the rebar at the ends of the block structure. However, even if the Bott's patent mentions that “horizontally disposed reinforcing rods may be positioned between courses and received in notches 33-35”, it does not disclose a system as claimed herein. The separations between abutting blocks are also created when cement is applied.
None of the prior art blocks includes external horizontal edge cutouts to receive the cement to avoid the creation of separations between abutting blocks and upper and lower channels. Also, the present invention includes the use of block aligning accessories, such as the base alignment tool and row leveling and reinforcement tool cooperative received by the block lower and upper channels, to permit a user to keep a wall structure aligned throughout its construction. These features are not suggested in the prior art references.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.